A Blue Rose Against White
by No Longer Alive Hearts
Summary: I'm not used to doing crossovers. This is actually a request from Nami the Writer. What would happen, should Team Rocket have ended up stuck in the Castle That Never Was?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this was sort of a request by Nami the Writer. We were talking about James from Pokemon, followed by how he always seems to have a rose on him, and the product is this. Or, at least, what this story will be. See if you can guess the pairings.

Chapter 1: Who's That Pokemon? It is a Pokemon, Right?

Jessie, James, and Meowth walked along the streets of what seemed to be a deserted city.

"Oh, you idiots!" Jessie threw her arms up and glared at the other two. "Where are we? You got us lost, didn't you?"

"Of course not. Don't you trust Meowth." The cat Poemon looked over his map and nodded to himself, grinning broadly. "Da boss sent us here to find some new and rare Pokemon."

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't really like it here." James looked between the giant buildings that loomed over the dark street. "It's scary. What kind of place is this anyways?"

"Let's see here." Meowth perused his map again. "If I'm not mistaken, dis should be da Woild Dat Never Was." He smiled for a moment, before his eyes grew much wider than usual. "Da Woild Dat Never Was!"

"Meowth, you must be reading that map wrong. You can't be somewhere that never existed." Jessie snatched the map from Meowth and looked it over. "What kind of crazy map is this, Meowth? It looks like you just tore it off the back of some kids' astronaut cereal box or something."

James jumped. "Say, you guys don't think that the boss is just trying to get rid of us, do you?" He chuckled half-heartedly. "I mean, Butch and Cassidy have been saying."

Jessie smacked James over the head with the map. "Butch and Cassidy don't know anything!"

"Dat's right." Meowth shook his fist at James. "How dare you accuse dat da boss would ever try to get rid of Meowth!"

"Now, come on, guys." James held his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying."

"Well, then, maybe you should quit saying!" Jessie growled. "Honestly, look at the imbeciles I have to work with!"

Black blobs began to collect in the street behind Jessie and Meowth. James cringed as the blobs began forming into strange creatures of darkness. "J-J-Jessie."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Oh what is it, now?"

"B-behind you!" James pointed between his two comrades at the forming creatures.

"Yeah. Like we're just about to fall for dat one?" Meowth extended his claws. "Better make sure you apologize, because I ain't letting you get away."

The blue-haired young man began scooting backwards, blubbering as the creatures began to multiply. Their glowing eyes beamed in the three's direction.

After a couple of minutes of James not staring at them, and the droving sound of feet increased in their ears, Jessie and Meowth turned around and began screaming.

The Heartless Shadows began to leap at the little group, stretching out their claws.

Team Rocket began running away from the Shadows as they flooded in their direction. The clawing hands lurched and missed as the team's expert evasive maneuvers pulled through.

"What kind of Pokemon are these?" Jessie wailed as she ran.

"Heck, if I know." Meowth panted as his shorter legs began to give way. "Dese ain't like any Pokemon Meowth has seen before."

"And to think that the boss made us turn in our Pokemon before we came here." James swallowed and laughed nervously. "Oh well. At least we haven't seen the twerps today, right?"

"And you're implying that this is any better?" Jessie growled, but soon paused. Her running stopped, her eyes grew wide, and everything went quiet.

James and Meowth turned their heads to see that one of the Shadows was holding a thick chunk of red hair in its claws. Their eyes grew wide as they scrambled to find cover.

Wordlessly, Jessie raised her head, and her eyes glowed red. She turned on the Heartless, and fire erupted from her lips. Her own claws stretched out as she dove into the mass with full-fledged fury.

Fortunately, Heartless don't really have blood and gore to be spread around. Otherwise, the dark streets town would have literally been painted red as the reversed onslaught ensued. Black mist choked the street, the sky, and whatever neon lighting was attempting to make itself known.

Despite their hardy efforts, the Heartless recognized that this prey was useless to obtain their desires. Slowly, one by one, the mob retreated from the frenzied woman.

The two male members of the team kept their heads low as Jessie looked around for any more offenders.

James cupped a hand around his mouth and whispered, "What kind of Pokemon were those?"

"I don't know," Meowth whispered back. "I've seen Voltorb's explode and Gastly's disappear, but I ain't never seen Pokemon act like that before."

"And those glowing things that flew up after they disappeared." James scratched his head. "Maybe they are ghost Pokemon."

Meowth shook his head. "No way. I've seen lots of freaky Ghost Pokemon, but I'm not sure if dose guys were Pokemon at all."

Jessie came stomping back, firmly gripping her assaulted hair. "Stupid, stupid jerks. What were they thinking?" She turned and glared at James and Meowth, glowering. "And what are you two looking at?"

Though Jessie had been where their sights were targeted first, the four eyes were drawn towards a black hole that was forming behind their crazed female associate. They quickly embraced each other in fear.

"That's right! You two better be scared!" Jessie lifted up her fist savagely. "Why didn't you two do anything to protect me? You're men aren't you?"

Before she could release her fury, the woman's wrist was caught by a gloved hand as a tall figure stepped out of the black hole. "Are you the one who defeated all those Heartless?"

Jessie turned her head slowly until she saw the figure that was holding onto her. She quickly broke the figure's grasp and jumped back beside her comrades. She shrieked as she pointed at the newcomer.

"Hmm." The figure stared at the three. "Such peculiar Nobodies."

All three members immediately jumped to their feet and glared at the figure.

"Now, hold it buddy!" Jessie clenched her teeth. "Where do you get off calling us Nobodies?"

"Yeah." James clenched his fists. "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

"You've got a lot of noive, Buster!"

Jessie posed dramatically. "Prepare for trouble."

James flicked his wrist, revealing a blue rose, and posed as well. "Make it double."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie." The redhead stood up straight.

"James." The blue-haired man stood back-to-back with the woman.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

Meowth jumped up, performed a quick flip and landed on the two humans' shoulders. "Meowth, that's right!"

The figure stood there a moment. He pulled his hood back to reveal long bluish hair, yellow eyes, and a handsome face with an X-shaped scar on it. "Such strange Nobodies indeed."

"Stop calling us No-" Jessie stopped as she approached the man. "Um… What was I saying again?"

The man nodded slowly between the group and the hole. "I should probably take you all to the castle."

"Now, hold on." James shook his fist at the other blue-haired man. "No way are you getting me into that hole. That's just creepy."

"No kidding." Meowth folded his arms. "No way are you getting Meowth in dere. Ain't dat right, Jessie."

Jessie only giggled as she followed the man's hand towards the hole.

Meowth sighed and shrugged. "We better go to make sure she don't something stupid." He walked over to the black hole. "I'm not sure da boss would approve of dis, dough."

"Good, good." The black-cloaked man waved the cat in. "Such peculiar Nobodies. I'm sure the superior will want to see you." He turned to James. "Well?"

James swallowed heavily. "Well, I, uh…" He clamped his mouth shut as he saw that a large blade was conjured in the man's free hand. "I mean, sure." He smiled wryly as he entered the portal, nodding his way past the man."

"Much better." The stranger looked up at the sky at the flying hearts. "I'm sure the superior will be pleased indeed." With that, he walked through the portal and left the streets clear.

…

Okay, I guess that's it for the first chapter. I'm not used to doing crossovers, but I think this will be fun.

I hope I'm giving Meowth the proper accent.

Anyways, if you like this story, be sure to thank Nami the Writer for requesting this story.

Please, enjoy and review.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, last time, Team Rocket found themselves in the World That Never Was, Jessie went berserk on a bunch of Heartless, and they were taken into a dark hole by a mysterious cloaked figure.

Now it's time to continue our little escapade with everyone's favorite trio of "villains".

Chapter 2

After James had stepped through the portal, he found himself standing in a room that was whiter than anything he had ever seen, and his old butler, Sebastian, really knew how to make a plate white.

The other blue-haired man stepped in after James. He walked past the trio, though, and up to a desk that was as white as the room, where another figure in a black cloak sat with his back to them.

The stranger who had brought Jessie, James, and Meowth gave a proper bow. "Superior, I have found what appear to be new recruits."

"New recruits, Number VII." The figure behind the desk turned to face the group. His hooded head turned towards team rocket. "Rather unusual bunch."

"Hey!" Jessie stomped her booted foot down and pointed fiercely at the man who brought them. "I don't care how cute you are! I won't be called a nobody by anyone!"

"And neither will I!" Meowth extended his claws and glared.

"Well, they certainly seem to have spirit." The figure behind the desk stood up, standing as tall as the other cloaked man. "But they claim they are not Nobodies."

"Forgive me, Superior." Number VII bowed again. "With all due respect, I believe they are stating that they are of worth, not that they have hearts."

"Don't have hearts?" Jessie crossed her arms and huffed. "I'll have you know that I have a lot of heart." She blushed. "You hardly even know me, so how can you make such an assumption?"

"Yeah." Meowth growled. "You've got yourself a lot of noive!"

Flinching for a moment, James quickly popped up between the two and covered their mouths with his hands. "Excuse us a moment. I'm afraid my companions are a little confused."

"Clearly." The Superior raised a suspicious eyebrow.

Jessie and Meowth soon pulled free of their friend's grasp. They both were about to shout at him, when he pulled them into a huddle.

"What's de big idea?" Meowth balled his feline fists.

"Yeah, James. These two need to learn some manners." Jessie ground her teeth hard enough to create sparks. "Don't they just boil your blood?"

"Yes, well, I don't know about you two, but it seem that if we have hearts, I get the feeling that we soon won't have heads." James' eyes strayed to Number VII's sword. "If I'm not mistaken, with Meowth as our only Pokemon, I get the feeling that we're a little outgunned. Doesn't this place look like a gym to you?"

Jessie and Meowth both looked around themselves with only their eyes. Though they were rather fired up, the chill of James fear-based, yet logical, assumption began to grip them.

Jessie and Meowth both quickly jumped to face the two larger men and bowed vigorously, rubbing their hands together and laughing nervously.

"I'm really sorry." Jessie placed a finger on her chin and opened her eyes wide to exaggerate her role as the 'cute' member of the trio. "We've been lost for a while now, and haven't eaten in days."

"Yeah." Meowth sweated as he continued nodding. "I don't know whether I have a heart, a brain, or even a stomach anymore."

The Superior pulled his hood back to reveal a darkly tanned faced with silver hair. He wasn't old, though. In fact, he looked quite young.

"Oh, wow!" Jessie clasped her hands together as she looked between Number VII and the Superior. "We've been kidnapped by a bunch of hunks! Is this a dream come true?"

The Superior cast a sidelong glance at Number VII. "Are you sure these are Nobodies?"

"I have never seen a Somebody destroy so much as a single heartless, let alone eliminate such a crowd as was in the streets this night." Number VII nodded towards Jessie. "And I do not see any immediate arms upon her."

"No. I guess you aren't reincarnated with a weapon, when you become a Nobody." The Superior paced around the small group, holding his gaze like a vulture's as he examined them. "Are you saying that this female has the potential to surpass a keyblade."

"I don't believe so necessarily. She doesn't seem to release the hearts' power to our Kingdom Hearts." Number VII took hold of Jessie's chin, causing her to blush madly. "It seems more like she would make a good compliment to any member of the team, though."

"And what about this?" The Superior picked up Meowth by the scruff of his neck. "It looks more like a Heartless to me."

"Why you!" Meowth struggled in the man's grasp, baring his fangs. "Let me down, you big palooka!"

"I think it's still a nobody, Superior." Numver VII poked Meowth. "It's far too white to be a Heartless. Perhaps it's something like an Assassin."

"An assassin?" Meowth stared dumbfoundedly at the two taller men. He smiled and took hold of his chin. "I like dat idea. Yeah! Meowth can be an assassin." He flexed his claws and did his best to look intimidating.

"It is a curiosity. That's for sure." The Superior walked over and placed the cat-like Pokemon on his desk. "Whether Nobody or Heartless, I don't believe that I've ever seen a specimen like yourself that could talk." He turned and loomed over James. "And you?"

James, without the potential protection of Carnivine, Cacnea, or even Growlithe, chuckled nervously and tapped his fingers together. "M-me?"

"Yes, you." The Superior clucked his tongue as he looked down on James. "What can you do? The female and your creature seem to have potential fighting prowess." He only glared down at James, not even making the effort to stoop the slightest to acknowledge the cowering figure. "What's your purpose? Can you fight?"

Meowth pointed at James. "Dat schoolboy? Ha! He'd be nothing without Meowth!" He puffed his chest out boldly.

Jessie shrugged. "If nothing else, he's good with a wrench." She sighed. "He's really never been that good in a fight."

"You guys!" James looked between his two comrades, with the customary realization that he found himself lower on the status quo than them, which meant he'd have to try some sort of disguise soon.

"Not very good as a fighter." The Superior frowned slightly as his brow knitted. "Then again, you have no weapon yet. What is your element? Can you summon anything?"

"S-summon?" James stepped back with the question. He soon buffed up his ego and conjured a rose in his hand, standing heroically. He chuckled to himself. "You think that I honestly need to summon something to help me?"

The Superior shook his head, closing his eyes. "I'm not well impressed." He turned to Number VII. "Perhaps it's a latent ability." He gestured to Jessie. "Take the female to Number XII's room." He gestured back to James. "And take this… individual to Number XI and Namine's wing. Perhaps he'll find his power there."

"Indeed, Superior." Number VII gestured to Meowth. "And this creature?"

"Leave it." The Superior walked back to his desk and sat down. "I would prefer to examine this peculiar specimen myself. I don't believe Number IV would be as appropriately delicate for proper examination."

"E-e-examination?" Meowth's eyes widened as he reached out to his fellow team rocket members.

However, Number VII had taken hold of Jessie and James and was walking towards the office door.

…

And that's the second chapter. Next time we'll actually explore some real relations between the Team Rocket members and the Organization XIII members, instead of just Saix and Xemnas's business-like and professional behavior.

Till next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Saix kept silent as he led the Team Rocket members down the halls. The man and woman in his grasp hardly gave struggle because of their fear. Who would have blamed them? They were in a strange place with strange people. They didn't know where they could go or how to get there. Plus, the _sword _that hung from the _taller _man's back was plenty incentive.

The man with moon blue hair finally opened a door. He all but threw James inside and shut the door again.

James was left to keep himself from falling flat on his face, tripping on his own feet because of the force he was stuck in the room with. Despite his most valiant efforts, he fell, groaning as he made impact with the floor.

"Oh!"

James looked up from his fallen position to find himself at the feet of a bblond young woman. She wore a white dress, and she held a drawing pad. Her large blue eyes were staring down at him, unblinkingly.

The male human member of Team Rocket quickly jumped to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, hello there." He laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about dropping in so suddenly."

"Hello, yourself," the girl replied. She watched James with her large eyes, certainly on all accounts wary of the newcomer.

"Oh, yes, how rude of me. I suppose I should introduce myself." James snapped his wrist, making a rose appear in his hand. He stood silently for a moment, waiting for the team's motto to begin, only to remember that he was alone. "Sorry... I'm usually part of a group." He held his hand out to the girl. "Anyways, my name is James."

The girl's eyes went somewhat wide, when she heard the name. She placed a hand over her mouth and began to giggle.

"And what's so funny?" James blinked blankly, pointing to himself. "It's not the hair, is it? Because that guy out in the hall has hair is practically glows and-"

"No. No." The young woman shook her head. "I've just never met someone else who doesn't have an X in there name." She placed a hand on her chest. "You see, I'm Namine. You're probably talking about Sai_x_." She put an emphasis on the X to point out her point. "It's actually kind of nice not to hear the sharp sound of 'ecks', too. Probably why I like being with Marluxia."

"Namine? Marluxia?" James took a moment to think. "Oh yeah, that superior guy sent me here. Something about a latent ability or something."

"Oh, I thought you were new." Namine giggled happily, setting her drawing pad and pencil on the nearby table. "I thought so. You're not evven dressed like everyone else." She gestured to the Team Rocket uniform.

James felt a little self-conscious from the comment. "Well, I've always been one to stand out." He tried laughing along with the girl. "So, any idea why I'd be sent here?" He pointed to the girl. "Do you have a latent ability?"

"No, I have my power." Namine tapped the side of her head. "I control memories." She sighed. "At least, I can control the memories of one boy named Sora. Experiments with other subjects have been... well, Vexen likes to call them inconclusive, and that's all he has to say about them."

"Uh-huh..." James was a little confused. That sounded almost like something a psychic pokemon would say. He scratched the side of his head. "So, who is this Marluxia?"

"That would be me."

James turned on his heel to see a surprisingly imposing figure. The man standing before him had a slim figure, but he stood roughly two inches taller than himself. Though the new man's hair was pink, his face was rather stern to make him too laughable.

Marluxia strode across the floor and took hold of James's chin. He tilted the man's head back and forth, raising an eyebrow as he examined him. "So this is what the superior would have me to work with?" He noticed the rose in the hand and took hold of the wrist. After mentally confirming that the rose did not some from his garden and that it was too fresh to have been carried out in the open for too long, he smiled slightly. "Well, I must say that I see promise."

...

Jessie found herself being pushed through a door into a room. She winced as the door slammed on her. "Was it something I said?" she called through the door.

"Eh, don't worry yourself about him."

Jessie turned around to see a blond woman about her age. She was actually surprised, but her pride made it impossible for her to admit so. She placed her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out proudly. "Listen here, sister! It looks like you've got yourself a roomma-" She froze, when she felt something pass only a fraction of an inch from her face. She turned to see that a knife was stuck in the wall behind her.

Before Jessie could even shout, the blond woman stood up and sauntered her way beside the redhead. "Eh, calm down, newbie. Don't go trying to prove yourself so hard." She leaned on Jessie's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Unless you want to end up on a mission way out of your league."

Jessie's face grew red with anger. With all the men she'd seen in the halls and with Number VII and the Superior, she was surprised to be stuck in a room with another woman.

"Hey, look, if you don't want to talk, that's fine." The woman held her hands up, smiling. "Truth be told, I'm not much one for conversation. Just promise to stay away from Axel, and there shouldn't be any real problems."

Jessie looked over at the woman and was surprised with what she saw. The yellow hair, the two extensions from her head, and an overwhelming sense of electricity. She could only answer with one word. "Pikachu?"

...

Okay, another chapter down, finally. Sorry for being so long. Anyways, hope you're all enjoying the story so far.

Hope to write soon. I don't own Pokemon or Kingdom Hearts

Enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

It's about time I actually got a sizable chapter up for this story. I've been updating the rest, whereas this is the one I wanted to get back to the most. I've just been so busy recovering from the hiatus and it being the Christmas season. Things get hectic. Still, here's something just a little longer.

Chapter 4

James sat across the table from Namine, watching her draw. She seemed to be drawing the same boy over and over, every time and every picture. "So, who is this boy? Is he a friend of yours?"

"N-not exactly." Namine blushed as she paused in her art. "He's Sora. The one I control the minds of."

"Mm-hm." James folded his fingers beneath his chin. Team Rocket had only arrived in their new location a few days ago, but James had already developed the habit of coming the Namine's room right after he woke up. Whether it was the fact that this was his assignment or if he was too scared to venture any further into the castle, he didn't know. It was all just white. White and whiter still. Even in Namine's room. "So, what does this boy mean to you, then? I mean, he must be something of value to you for you to constantly draw him with his albino Psyduck and whatever the lanky thing is."

"Albino Psyduck?" Namine blinked at the blue-haired man curiously. "Oh, you must mean Donald Duck."

"Curious nickname for a Psyduck. But that unusual coloring must make it valuable. Is it any good at fighting?" James was trying to calculate how much such a rare and valuable Pokemon could be to Team Rocket. He had heard of blue Psyducks before, but never white.

"Yes. Donald is very good at fighting..." Namine lifted an eyebrow slightly. "But I don't know if his color is really worth anything. At least, the other members have never shown any interest in him. Rather, they're always talking about Sora."

"The twerp in the middle, right?" James tapped the image of Sora. "He doesn't look like much. What could he possibly be worth?" He turned his finger to the lanky creature. "Why, this looks more valuable than just some kid."

"Goofy?" Namine giggled. "He's really klutzy, but he fights pretty well with Sora."

"A human fighting alongside his Pokemon? That's absurd." James' jaw dropped. "I mean, it's one thing to take care of a Pokemon and love it. It's another to fight alongside it, though. That's just dangerous."

"What's a Pokemon?" Namine mirrored James' position, staring back at him. "Is it the same thing as a Psyduck."

"You deprived girl!" James looked somewhat offended. "You mean to tell me that you don't know what a Pokemon is? Psyduck is a type of Pokemon..." He looked out of the window. "Actually, this is a new region, and we did see all of those new Pokemon outside of the castle." He scratched his chin. "Maybe Goofy and Donalduck are new types of Pokemon?" He stood up. "I should tell Jessie and Meowth about this." He turned to the door.

"Wait! You're going?" Namine stood up quickly. "Y-you can't leave!"

"What?" James turned back to the younger woman. "Why not?"

"Because you'll leave me alone." Namine blushed. "Before you came here, I was always alone. Marluxia would come to visit, but he never stays long, and it's usually just another assignment to modify Sora's memories." Her blush brightened. "I-I don't like being alone. I get so afraid that I'll be alone forever in here."

James stopped and walked back slowly, feeling nervous. The girl was obviously close to tears, and it was heartbreaking to think of her being alone all of the time. He remembered when he was young. Certainly, he had butlers and maids to take care of him, but it wasn't the same as having friends, or being with your parents, or even having siblings. He took his seat again. "Well, I can't say my word's ever been worth much, but you have my word that so long as I'm here, you won't be alone again." He smiled warmly.

Namine's blush intensified. She choked back the tears and began to giggle. "So... would... would you say that we're friends?" She twisted a lock of her hair in between her fingers. "I've never had a real friend since I got here. It's just been me and my drawings for the longest time."

"Yes. Speaking of which..." James tapped the nearest picture to him. "Just what value could this boy have?" He looked over the other figures on the paper. "I still think his Pokemon would be more interesting."

"Well, I don't know too much about Donald and Goofy." Namine sat down slowly, nibbling on the end of her colored pencil. "Sora, though, he can wield the keyblade. That keyblade is really important to the superior's plan. It's supposed to help restore hearts by eliminating the Heartless, freeing the hearts, so we can use them for our Kingdom Hearts. Then we'll become Somebodies again."

"Oh." James stared blankly at the girl for a moment. _Hearts? Restoring hearts? By using the Keyblade? This Keyblade must be some sort of legendary Pokemon. This gang really rolls high. I wonder how they ever became nobodies? Sounds more like these are about as big in crime as you could hope. _He stroked his chin. "This must really be important to you." He tapped his finger on the table.

"Well, I guess." Namine blushed more. "I mean, I've never met him personally. But the other members want to capture him for his keyblade."

James shook his head, trying not to seem to conspicuous. "Enough about Sora. How did you get involved in all of this? I mean, no offense, but you don't dress like the others."

"Me?" Namine played with her hair a little coyly. "Um, well, uh... I-I just sort of came to be here... and then they brought me here." She stared down at the table. "They found out about my talent quickly. I don't know why you haven't shown any powers yet. You seem so much better for this."

"Me?" James rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know. Our last boss wasn't thrilled with us. But maybe we can start fresh here." He smiled. "It's actually pretty nice to get to talk with someone, without being shouted at all of the time."

"Oh, I'm sorry that you were shouted at. It's not fun." Namine sighed.

"It's not that big of a deal. You get used to it after a while." He chuckled warmly. "Honestly, you don't need to worry about me. You seem to be a little bit out of your element, though." He looked at the young woman with great concern. "Are you happy here?"

"Not really," Namine confessed. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"That's all right." James raised his hands defensively. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

"I don't really know. I wish I knew more about the outside world." She looked up at James shyly. "Maybe you could pick something to talk about? You must know so much about the world!"

It was James' turn to blush this time. "Well, I might not be the smartest, but I'll tell you about anything you want."

And so that afternoon, James told Namine about beaches, Pokemon, his youth and all of its pleasures, and just about everything he could think of, up until it was time for Namine to be put to sleep. He didn't leave her side to sleep, until he was certain Namine was asleep for certain. Still, he felt her hand on his, he found he couldn't leave her side. He sighed and smiled, sitting with him through the night.

...

Well, I... I can only hope that this chapter is a worthy continuation. It might not be as long as I hoped, but I put my heart in it, so I hope you all enjoy.

Thank you until next time.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

James was alone in his room in the middle of the night, thinking. It seemed like his friends were adapting much more readily. Well, they at least seemed much more comfortable than he did. In fact, perhaps a bit too comfortable. But then, he was rarely out of his wing of the castle, only visited by Jessie or Meowth late at night, when the rest of the members were asleep. He had just spoken with Jessie earlier in the day.  
Apparently, many were believing Jessie to have fighting spirit, but as unawoken in talent. Meowth was perceived as some sort of Anti-Heartless, due to his white coloration and unknown appearance to the other members of their current team, a perfect mascot for Organization XIII. However, the blue-haired man couldn't help but feel as though they were lulling themselves into something much more above their heads than trying to capture Lugia with their own bare hands.  
Unable to sleep, he soon stood up and walked out his door and down the hall. He was quiet as he entered Namine's room. He approached her bed and sighed. He looked up and out of her window. How many days had it been? It seemed as though the sky was always the same, never changing from that bizarre moon and dark sky. Did his teammates ever notice?  
Whatever the case, he stroked Namine's head gently, sighing again. Namine wasn't like other girls. She wasn't scary like any of his half-crazed, stalker fiancee Jessibelle was, and she wasn't angry all the time, like Jessie. Actually, he had grown awfully attached to her and enjoyed the fact that they could be together without having to fight every five minutes.  
He turned and left the room as quietly as he came. With a sense of peace, he was able to return to bed once again and fall asleep, sleeping a blissful, rather dreamless sleep.

The next day, James was actually surprised to hear a knock at his room's door. If it had been Jessie or Meowth, they would have charged in, no matter the reason. Namine never left her room, either. As dazed and baffled as usual, the Team Rocket member walked across the room to answer, unknowingly carrying his bedding with him.  
The door was answered by the not so familiar face of a red-haired man. Having only seen him once or twice before, without an introduction, James could hardly make an assumption for this man's visit. All he knew was that he was apparently the number Eight out of the Thirteen.  
"Hey, how's it going?" The red-haired man waved with an obvious roguishness. "Suppose I never took the time to talk to you, huh? Well, the name's Axel. Get it memorized, because I'm not always going to be there to remind you. Course, if you talk to anyone my number or higher, they'll use my name. Otherwise, we're all just a number to 'the Superior'." He rolled his eyes, smirking. "Course, I guess when you own the place, you get to do whatever you want, huh?"  
"Well, I suppose." James blinked quietly as he watched his new guest. "So, Axel, was it?"  
"Heh-hey. The boy scout can learn." Axel laughed. "At least, better than that chick you brought with you. Seems she's been quite the sparring partner, but we still can't get her to unlock any actual powers." He held his chin, still smirking. "Still, that five-foot blowpipe she picked up seemed pretty much like the right choice. Must be all that hot air she keeps spouting. She can hit a heartless from a hundred and twenty yards, accuracy pending."  
"Yeah? I think she mentioned that." James opened the door a little wider, so as to seem more welcoming. "I'm afraid she never mentioned you, though."  
"That's because she keeps going on and on and on about herself. Hasn't remember any of our names and keeps mixing the numbers around." Axel took the unprovided invitation to step into James' room without a thought or a care. "Can't lie. There's rumors going around that she isn't even a Nobody, with the way she brags. It's only because she acts a lot like Larxene that keeps any real suspicions from rising. The cat thing that came with you, on the other hand, seems pleased as anything to just sleep in the boss's office like he was the big cheese. Not really worth a lot, if you ask me. But when the Superior thinks he's onto something, he doesn't give up on the idea easy."  
"Well, that's nice, but I know a lot of this already." James blinked consciously again. "However, I can't really tell you much else. It's not as though I leave this hallway too often or anything." He gave a relieved smile. "Why, I could only imagine what would happen to me out there."  
"And you see, that's where we hit the problem." Axel frowned as he turned on his heel and leaned back against the wall. "Some of the higher up guys are thinking of moving you out. Seems that they're getting a little bit tired of you sitting up here, playing peek-a-boo and patty cake with Namine, without so much as a progress report." He shrugged, offering a smiling sigh, before folding his arms again. "I mean, what can I really say? All you can do is summon flowers, and we already have Marluxia and his garden for that. I suppose we'll probably end up dumping you off of the project before too long, Nobody or not. Number Seven and Number Four, you haven't really met them, already don't like any of the three of you." He stood up and jokingly cupped his mouth with one hand as he leaned forward, as though there were actually someone else around to hear what he was going to tell James. "Personally, I blame your ladyfriend. She keeps flirting with danger, talking to Saix all the time. And Vexen is just crotchety and old like that. He doesn't like anyone. He's a lost cause for sure. We only keep him around, because we know he's too stubborn for us to ever get him to move out."  
James had ended up zoning out a little, as he stared and nodded. It was a bad habit, he had picked up from listening to Jessie rant a lot of the time. Still, he shook his head and chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "I suppose that she does have that effect on men at times."  
"Hey, sunny Jim." Axel shook his head as he stood up straight again. He tapped the side of his head. "Think about it a moment. You just don't seem to be catching on. You're the one being the problem here. Sure, she's a pain, but let's be honest. It's been nearly two months, and you haven't done anything." He began walking towards the door. "You better shape up or pack up. That is, if the Superior actually allows you to leave with your life."  
James swallowed heavily, his attention fully caught.  
"Yeah, that's right," Axel whispered in a startlingly cool tone. "It's not as though none of us haven't noticed. You're not like the rest of us. You three arrived at the same time. None of your arrivals were like any of ours. Seriously. Just walking up to the old castle? You probably don't know this, either, but aside from Namine, the rest of us have an X in our name for some reason. And seeing how we already have someone to manipulate Sora and even Riku to a lesser extent, you better hope you're a fighter." He walked out the door. "Anyways, just remember. It's Axel." And with that, he left.  
James was never one to get particularly worried, except when those he cared about were in some kind of danger. However, he had never had to worry about anything besides getting fired by Giovanni or attacked by the twerps' Pokemon before. This was on a whole new scale of things. "What on earth have we gotten ourselves into?"  
He immediately ran out and down the hall to the one place he felt was really safe for anything in the castle anymore. He burst through Namine's door, tripping and falling flat on his face.  
Namine gasped at the sudden arrival and stood up. She ran over and helped to lift her friend up to his knees. "James, what happened?"  
"I'm not sure I like it here anymore, Namine!" James' eyes were wide as he spoke to the girl, standing up and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I... I don't think I really belong here."  
"Why?" Namine searched James' face with her eyes. "I mean, did I do something wrong?"  
"Oh, no. No. I think you're great. There's nothing wrong with you. Nothing. Nope. Perfect." James gave her an honest smile. "It's just that this sounds like the type of organization that doesn't... provide proper benefits." His smile became a little weaker with the lie. "I mean, I don't even thnk this Superior fellow pays for dental, and us three have always been in the hole when we don't have any health support. It's just a sort of neccessity."  
Namine looked more concerned at this statement. She just leaned forward a little, leaning her forehead against James' chest. "James... how does it feel... to remember?"  
"Remember?" James tilted his head, his previous anxiety ebbing. "Remember what?"  
"Just to remember." Namine looked up with the slightest of tears brimming her eyes. "Many of us here in the castle can't really remember. We're Nobodies with no past before coming here. I think... at least I like to think I remember things. Little things. But they're probably just dreams from being told so much about Sora. I... I don't really want to think that I'm just living off of some dreams to humor myself. I want to be able to remember things." She began sobbing. "It must be so nice to actually be able to remember your life as a Somebody."  
"Life as a somebody?" James thought back over the last few months. At first he thought about how askew his schedule must be now. He didn't remember really sleeping enough to suggest that he, Jessie, and Meowth had been at the castle been there for so long. However, he certainly had been talking to Namine enough to suggest it. He bit his lip as he realized that he had never asked her any questions about this 'Nobody' business. All this time, he had just thought it was some small-time criminal organization per Jessie's suggestion. Something like those Team Galactic weirdoes. Now, though, the significance of it all was finally starting to get to him. "Namine, you... you make it sound as though I've died."  
"Well, I... I don't exactly know how it works." Namine's tears were much more obvious now, though she wasn't quite choked up. It was a sort of sympathetic sadness. "I mean, Roxas is Sora's Nobody, but he kind of disappears, whenever Sora's awake. The others' Somebodies died to get here, though, I believe. And they lost their heart in the process. That's why they came here, to the Castle That Never Was. Most of our memories are lost about our past lives, so that's why many of us are bitter, despite no supposed to be able to have feelings. It's really scary."  
"Scary? It's sounds terrible!" The very name of the castle now struck the coward in James' over the head to wake up. It was almost like he and his friends were now captured in some Gengar mansion or Spiritomb nightmare. "I... I never died! At least, I'm sure I haven't." He swallowed nervously. "I... we have to get out of here!"  
"No! Don't say that!" Namine's eyes widened, the tears stopping in shock. She pounded James' chest with her small hands, the first time she could remember showing frustration in so long. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't leave me!"  
James took gentle hold of the girls' wrists. "Are you insance? I said 'we', didn't I? You don't have an X in your name, so you're probably not dead, either."  
Namine stopped and stared up at James, her mouth slightly agape. "Leave the castle?" She lowered her hands' from James and seemed to be contemplating hollowly. She could scarcely remember how long she had been at the castle. She could hardly even remember how she arrived. She folded her arms and shuddered, though there was no cold to be felt. "James, I really don't know. Is there even anything beyond the castle anymore?"  
"Yes, there most certainly is." James took Namine firmly by the shoulders with excitement. "There's so much more out there, Namine. So much more. Why, I know. Did you think I made up the Pokemon I told you about? I walked here. I don't know how I got here, but I know we can get back to Unova."  
"James." Namine tears started again. "I don't know... I can't."  
"Of course you can. I couldn't leave you here."  
A gasp escaped the small blond's lips at James utterance. "What do you mean? I'd most likely only slow you down."  
"There's no way I could leave you behind, Namine." James looked straight into the girl's eyes. "Not after all we've been through. It just wouldn't be right. I mean, I'd never be able to live with myself, thinking I left you behind."  
"James..." Namine smiled shyly but unsurely. "Yeah. You're not much of a Nobody. Nobodies aren't supposed to be able to care or feel things. We don't have hearts after all."  
"Then judging from that and the last few months, you're not much of a Nobody, either." James nodded. "You're really too nice to not have a heart." He embraced the girl tightly. "That's why I want you to stay with me now. I could never leave you."  
Namine blushed, but she kept her smile. "Thank you. But I still don't know..."  
"Well, I need to tell Jessie and Meowth. I don't plan to be here for more than another week." James smiled meekly. He produced his classic blue rose and handed it to Namine, before running out of the room.  
Namine held the rose close to her heart, the blue petals quivering with her heartbeat against her white dress.

James had to backtrack several times, in order to make his way through the castle. "Jessie. Jessie!" He should have gotten himself more instructions about how to get around the castle. Everything looked, much the same, except for the stairs.  
After several minutes, James found himself grabbed by the shoulder and pinned against the wall. He screamed as he was caught, but soon calmed at the call of a familiar vouce, "James, you idiot! Stop shouting! You sound like a total idiot. I mean, it's not as though we aren't in trouble as it is."  
"I know," James replied. "I mean, that's exactly what I was going to tell you, only without the shouting and idiot part." He looked down either way, before looking back at Jessie. "I just met this Axel guy, and from the way it sounds, we're looking at a real underground syndicate. This isn't something I ever thought I'd get mixed up in."  
"Well, do you think I like it around here. You're just up there all the time, what was I going to tell you? We're probably going to die?" Jessie pulled down one of her gloves, showing several scars. "They're actually aiming to kill. If I hadn't tried the blowgun, I probably would be dead by now, let alone whatever would have happened to you."  
"And what about Meowth?" James looked around. "Where is he being kept? With the superior?"  
"I don't know. As far as I'm concerned about, it's every gal for herself." Jessie looked frazzled. "We need to get out of here, James, and I mean now!"  
"No. Not now." James shook his head. "Jessie, you know we can't just leave Meowth. Besides, I promised Namine she would be able to come along with us. I can't just turn my back on her. I can't leave her behind."  
"James." Jessie paused, before pinching the bridge of her nose. "James, you are such a sympathetic idiot. This Namine had better be worth it. We're already out of several paychecks, and I can only imagine how we can actually get out of here."  
"So where is Meowth. Do you know?"  
"No. I don't know. I think he's with that Xemnas weirdo, but they've been trying to get me to use something like hyper beam or dragon rage since I got here." Jessie flushed. "It's like the people around here are Pokemon."  
"Well, that is weird. But the thing which I am worried about is that it sounds as though this Superior guy will be out to get us, when we leave." James shivered. "I just hope we can all get out of this safe."  
"Then go grab your girlfriend." Jessie let go of James. "Meet me back here. I should be able to 'convince' Meowth to come back with us as well." She began running in her classic high heels down the hall in the opposite direction from where she expected James to go.  
James stood there a moment, blushing heavily as he watched his old partner leave. "Well, I don't know about girlfriend." He began walking the other way. "I would've thought they'd have given Jessie one of those snappy coats, too. She probably just didn't like the color or something."


	6. Chapter 6

Well, here is the final chapter. It's not my longest story, and maybe it's not my most dramatic story, but this was all a heartfelt experience. This is a story I wrote per Nami the Writer's request, and it has been a joy to do this for her. I hope she enjoys this humble offering.

Chapter 6

It was dark outside as James knocked on the white door. He opened it without waiting for a response. "Namine, it's time to go."

The young blond moaned quietly as she stirred it her bed. She hardly had the time to look up in order to see who it was, before she was pulled out of bed. Before she knew it, she was being pulled out of bed by her new friend of several months. She rubbed her eyes as she looked up at the man. "James? James, what's happening?"  
"We're leaving tonight," the blue-haired man stated uncharacteristically bluntly. He looked out the door to the room quietly, wondering if there was any chance anyone would be watching them. He ducked back quietly as he saw a shadow pass the lights in the hall.

"James, quit being such a coward!" The door flew wide open as Jessie kicked it in. She was half-strangling Meowth as she carried him. In case you haven't realized, we're in a bit of trouble." She swung Meowth up to meet James face-to-face.

The small feline Pokémon struggled for breath for a moment, pulling at Jessie's hand around his neck

Jessie dropped Meowth. "Honestly, Meowth, you can be so pathetic at times."

"Well, excuse me for needing air! Honestly, whaddya t'inking?! I wanna get outta here with my skin in one piece, too, youse knows!" The two-foot-tall loudmouth whirled his forepaws in the air.

"That's why we're escaping, right?" James nodded. "I mean, you make it sound like they're coming for us right now."

"Dat's because they are, genius!" Meowth shouted. "Dat Xemnas guy is going berserk! Keeps talking about keys and nobodies and making us nobodies and-"

Namine gasped as she listened to the squawking cat. "How did you outrun them? James hasn't told me about either of you teleporting yet."

Meowth grimaced as he pranced in his indignation. "Well, I'd give all nine of my lives to be an Abra right now! Let's vamoose!"

"Like he said." Jessie began running along with her only current Pokémon acquaintance down the hall, leaving James and Namine in the dust.

"Come on, Namine, we have to go." James began leading Namine along again. "Meowth's ideas might not always work, but he usually knows what he's talking about, when dangers involved." The door was wide open now, and if this was a manhunt, he knew he'd need all the speed he could get right now."

"But wait, my drawing materials." Namine paused and tried her best to stay James. She looked back quietly.

James stopped at Namine's request, just as a series of icicles stuck into the wall in front of him.

"Oh, trying to get away?" An elderly gentleman carrying a blue shield cackled as he appeared in the hallway. "Let me stop you."

James turned quickly on his heel. He knew that those images in the room were important to her. They were the best substitute she had for her memories, though they were all just manipulations of another's memories. They were the only thing she had, though.

He ducked beneath a volley of icicles. "Hey, quit ignoring me!" his attacker shouted.

James shooed Namine. "Go get them." He flicked a rose out of his sleeve. "I'll hold him off."

At this time, Jessie had turned around to check on her associates' progress. "James! Don't just stand there!" She yelped as a formidable rock erupted from the floor, followed by the even more formidable looking Number V. "We can't just stay here."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for Meowth!" The cat scurried towards the staircases, only to be closed off by an eye-patched man. "Well, lookee here. Boss man has been wanting to talk with you." He aimed a rather nasty-looking gun at the Pokemon. "We know something's weird about you guys."

James was stuck trying to defend himself while Jessie dodged her goliath and Meowth was in retreat mode. They all were pretty stuck.

Rose met icicle in mid-air as James defended his position against the chilly academic. He kept pulling roses out, but this was getting much too reckless for him. The roses he threw could only slightly deflect the icicles he was being bombarded with, and he still had to dodge. However, it was in order to help Namine. That was reason enough for him to keep up the fight.

Jessie's agility was more than enough to dodge the silent hero's ungainly attacks with his tomahawk. She was not into the fight, though. She swept low and ran past her opponent, catching Meowth and spiking Number II in the face, before heading down the stairs. She didn't even bother to look back.

It was suddenly apparent how much danger James was in now. He flicked his wrist to call in another rose, but nothing came. As he dodged an icy blast of air, he looked down his sleeve to see that it was empty. He swallowed as he made a mad dash towards Namine's room. "What kind of crazy place is this?! I know what Jessie said, but this is ridiculous! I might as well be fighting Articuno back home in Kanto!"

As he entered Namine's room, he regretted the fact that there were no windows to look out of in this room, or much any of the rooms. He could only hope that Meowth and Jessie were safely outside. It was probably a vain hope, given the ax-crazy lunatics who apparently inhabited this building. He was breathing heavily as he slammed the door shut.

Namine looked up from her gathering of papers and pencils to see James. She dropped her drawings and ran over to him. "James, are you okay? You're not hurt or anything, are you?" Her tears began forming as she nuzzled his chest in sorrow. "It was stupid coming back here, wasn't it?"

"Wha?" James shook his head as he realized what Namine was saying. He chuckled nervously. "Of course not. It's not like we're in any danger," the criminal lied. "Things just got complicated."

"Because of me." Namine sighed and pouted. "If only I'd just gone with you, we wouldn't be in this mess. You should have just gone on without me."

"No." James took hold of Namine's hand and tilted her chin up, so he could look her in the eyes. "Trust me, I've been through worse than this. At least it's not Pikachu." He leaned forward slightly as the door began to feel icy cold.

Namine stepped back, pulling James with her. "But now you're probably going to die. And I know it might mean you'll be a Nobody with me, then, but I can't stand to think about you dying. Especially not when it's my fault."

"It won't be your fault. I chose to stay, didn't I? I told you I would never leave you, didn't I?" James patted his chest confidently. "Let me tell you something, Namine. I might be a crook, but when I give my word, I give my word." He cupped the young woman's chin again. "Besides… I love you."

Namine's face became emblazoned in blush as she heard James' words. However, before she could reply, the door smashed open to reveal a dangerous-looking Number IV. Vexen, the castle scientist, stalked across the floor as it froze beneath his footsteps. "Oh, you're a wiry fellow, aren't you? I'm sure I could reanimate you in some way useful to the superior." He reached his hand out as icy power collected in it.

His confidence deflated, James picked up Namine and began running. Unfortunately, he slipped on the frozen floor and slid along on his face until he crashed into a wall, trying his best to keep Namine safe all the while. He sat up, slightly dazed.

James looked up to see that he was in the furthest corner from the door now, and there were to windows to jump out of, once again. He looked up as Vexen neared. He held a gasping Namine close to him as he curled up. No matter what, this psycho wasn't going to lay a hand on her.

The chilly academic raised his hand higher before thrusting it forward, releasing a blast of icicles and razor-sharp snowflakes. As the snow flew, though, it began to melt, before falling in a mess of slush harmlessly just out of reach of a screaming James.

"Woah, woah, woah. I thought I told you to memorize my name. You know. Give a call. At least a whistle." Axel tsked as he stepped out of a portal. "Seriously, James, I thought you were dead there for a moment."

James and Namine both looked up at the familiar redhead. "Axel?"

"That's my name, get it memorized." Axel smirked. "I'll give you this freebie, but you better call properly next time. I'm not always so charitable."

"Axel, why are you interfering, you useless whelp?" Vexen demanded. "You should know that we need to dispose of these cretins who dared disdained our premises with their own brand of uselessness."

Axel shrugged. "Pardon my eavesdropping, but I remember the Superior saying to 'get rid of them' not 'dispose of them'. Those are two completely different things, and you better remember that." He raised a thumb up at James. "I already got your two pals out of here. At least they know my name."

James nodded quietly as he held a blushing Namine closer. He was still wary of Axel as well. The rescue seemed a little too on cue.

"You idiot! We can't just let them go," Vexen scolded. "What happens, if they tell people our secrets-"

"What secrets, Vexen?" Axel folded his arms. "That cat was too drugged with enthrallment to hear anything, and we didn't even give the lot club jackets. They're just a bunch of yahoos from the far and illusory part of the world-verse. You know, those perimeters that seem to waver in and out. They probably got caught here while their world wavered. If they just keep walking north, they'll get home, and it's not like they'll ever meet up with Sora to tell him anything. Have you even explained anything about hearts to Jessie?"

His mouth slightly agape in frustration, Vexen pointed a hostile finger at Axel. "You… You… You think you're so clever, you little fink. Just wait until I tell the Superior about this."

"As if he'd even care." Axel began sinking into another portal. "Now jump in, you two. This isn't a tunnel of love." He shot a look back at Vexen. "You don't mind if they take her, do you? Your experiments with her have all failed miserably anyways."

Vexen grumbled as James and Namine jumped into the portal. If it weren't for his obvious type-weakness, he would have gone after them. One day he'd get those two, though. One day.

…

On the outside of the Castle That Never Was, a portal opened, and James and Namine were booted out. "Now get out of here, the lot of you. You don't belong here, and I can't promise that I can save your necks again. I did you a favor, now do me one and get out before Saix finds you and the real trouble starts." He shut the portal, without waiting for so much as a thanks.

James stood up and brushed Namine off. "Well, that was awfully rude."

"He did save us," Namine pointed out. "Though that is Axel for you. He seems to just do what he thinks will benefit him, so I wonder what we had to do with his plan."

"I don't really know." James looked up at the sky curiously. "Now, where's north?"

"This way, you idiot!" Jessie called from beside a strange phone booth. "It's about time you guys caught up. Meowth has been in there for ten minutes now. I don't know who just picks up a ringing public phone anymore."

"That is strange." James nodded.

"I'm just glad we're all safe." Namine sighed in relief. She smiled up at Jessie.

Jessie sighed. "Si, we're seriously taking her with us, then." She pinched the bridge of her nose, before chuckling evilly. "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to have another girl on the team. At least she can't be any dumber than you or Meowth."

"Hey, youse won't be calling me stupid, once youse guys hears what I just heard," Meowth chirped as he hopped out of the phone booth. "That was the boss. He wants us back in Kanto for some reason. Isn't this great? It might just be the promotion we've been waiting for all these years!"

Jessie turned quickly. "Wait? You mean that? Back in Kanto? No more chasing Pikachu?"

"Never say dat name again, unless it's a whole pack of 'em in de wild," Meowth cheered. "No more shocks, no more twerps. It's the high living style for us!"

"Well, that's awfully grand," James mused.

Namine shied behind James. "Boss? You mean the Superior?"

"Course not. We're talking about de big cheese, Giovanni himself." Meowth stood boldly. "No more serving second-rate mooks for us. Ha-ha!"

"Yes, Giovanni's actually a pretty nice guy, once you get to know him." James smiled warmly at Namine. "He just gets disappointed easily. And he worries about money a lot."

"Who cares what kind of boss he is? I'm just glad we can leave." Jessie ran giddily north, much like Axel had instructed her before James.

James and Namine made to follow, but they were stopped with Meowth jumping in front of them. "Hold on a moment. Dere's no way dat broad's going wit' us."

Namine's eyebrows rose, and James stood in front of her to defend her. "Now, come on, Meowth, what are you saying?"

A gleam came to Meowth's eye as he produced a red marker. He pounced and evaded James, lashing out at Namine. Quicker than a blink, he had drawn a crude 'R' on the front of Namine's white dress. "No way am I going to be seen walking around wit' a non-Rocket. Not since dose dopes back dere t'ought dey could get the best of us." He smiled to himself as he marched after Jessie.

Namine was staring at the mark on her dress, before looking up and smiling at James, tapping the 'R' on his unbuttoned shirt. "I guess we really do match now~"

James placed his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly. "I guess we do, don't we?" He flicked his wrist to produce a final blue rose. He tucked it behind Namine's hair in her white-blond hair. He took hold of her hand. "Come on, let's go. Your new life, your real life and memories, start now."

Namine smiled and laid her head against James as they walked north after their two teammates.


End file.
